Halloween has come a long way since the Celts celebrated the date as a transition from summer to winter. This year, don’t limit yourself to dressing up in a tacky costume, carving a wonky smile onto a pumpkin, and answering the door to a plague of irritating trick or treaters – head to some truly spooky dwellings, wild street parties or ghoulish haunts around the world instead. Here’s HI’s guide to the eeriest, and coolest, places to be seen this Halloween.

Get ready for over two weeks of lederhosen-wearing men, barmaids trussed up in dirndls enthusiastically serving up frothy steins of Bavarian beer, traditional German food and oom-pah bands all from the atmospheric confines of a hop-scented beer tent.

Whether your great-aunt Maeve is Irish, you’ve always wanted to experience Irish culture, or you just want to head over for the ‘craic’ (fun), this year is the time to head over to Ireland. With so many events happening this autumn in the Emerald Isle, we’ve rounded up some of the best for you.